Connector having temperature sensor for terminal

ABSTRACT

A connector includes a terminal, a housing, a temperature sensor, and a holding structure. The holding structure holds the temperature sensor so as to be movable in at least a first orthogonal direction in a space portion (housing formation space portion). The housing has the base portion and the pressing arm portion extending from the base portion in the contact direction and elastically deformable with respect to the first orthogonal direction orthogonal to the contact direction. The pressing arm portion has a protrusion portion that protrudes into the space portion and comes into contact with the temperature sensor. When the protrusion portion comes into contact with the temperature sensor, the pressing arm portion is elastically deformed to press the temperature sensor located in the space portion with respect to the first orthogonal direction, and the pressed temperature sensor is brought into contact with the terminal.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

The present application claims priority to and incorporates by referencethe entire contents of Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-096588 filedin Japan on Jun. 3, 2020.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a connector.

2. Description of the Related Art

Some connectors mounted on vehicles are provided in the middle of wiresthat supply power from a power supply to electronic devices. Further, ahigh voltage is applied to the wire for power supply. The connectorincludes a terminal provided on an end of the wire and a temperaturesensor that detects a temperature of the terminal, and prevents anovercurrent from being supplied from the power supply to the electronicdevices on the basis of a detection result of the temperature sensor(for example, see Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-125171).

The conventional connector includes a first holder member, a secondholder member that is locked to the first holder member, and a holdingstructure that maintains a state in which the second holder member islocked to the first holder member. Further, in the connector, theterminal and the temperature sensor are disposed in an internal spaceportion located between the first holder member and the second holdermember, the terminal and the temperature sensor are sandwiched betweenthe first holder member and the second holder member, the terminal andthe temperature sensor are brought into contact with each other bysandwiching, and the sandwiched state is maintained by the holdingstructure. For this reason, there is room for improvement in theconventional connector in that a contact state of the temperature sensorwith respect to the terminal is maintained by applying a vibration suchas traveling of a vehicle to the connector.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances,and an object of the present invention is to provide a connector capableof maintaining a contact state of a temperature sensor with respect to aterminal.

In order to achieve the above mentioned object, a connector according toone aspect of the present invention includes a terminal that moves in acontact direction with respect to a counterpart terminal and comes intocontact with the counterpart terminal; a housing that accommodates atleast a portion of the terminal; a temperature sensor that isaccommodated in the housing, is disposed in a space portion formed bythe housing and the terminal, and detects a temperature of the terminal;and a holding structure that holds the temperature sensor to be movablein at least a first orthogonal direction in the space portion, whereinthe housing has a base portion and a pressing arm portion extending fromthe base portion in the contact direction and elastically deformable inthe first orthogonal direction orthogonal to the contact direction, thepressing arm portion has a protrusion portion that protrudes into thespace portion and comes into contact with the temperature sensor, andwhen the protrusion portion comes into contact with the temperaturesensor, the pressing arm portion is elastically deformed to press thetemperature sensor located in the space portion with respect to thefirst orthogonal direction, and the pressed temperature sensor isbrought into contact with the terminal.

According to another aspect of the present invention, in the connector,it is possible to configure that the housing has a pair of holding armportions that extend from the base portion in the contact direction,face each other in a second orthogonal direction orthogonal to thecontact direction and the first orthogonal direction, and areelastically deformable with respect to at least the first orthogonaldirection, and the holding structure has a pair of locking projectionsprovided in one of the holding arm portion and the temperature sensorand extending in the second orthogonal direction, and a pair of lockingrecess portions provided in another of the holding arm portion and thetemperature sensor and capable of engaging with the locking projectionsby moving the locking projections in the second orthogonal direction.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, in theconnector, it is possible to configure that the housing includes a coverand a holding member formed separately from the cover, the holdingmember has the base portion, the base portion has a terminal fixingportion which is located between a pair of terminals in the firstorthogonal direction and to which the pair of terminals are fixed, andthe cover covers an outside of the pair of terminals that are separatedin the first orthogonal direction.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, in theconnector, it is possible to configure that the terminal has a tubularportion with an accommodation space portion, and the pressing armportion is disposed in the accommodation space portion of the terminal.

The above and other objects, features, advantages and technical andindustrial significance of this invention will be better understood byreading the following detailed description of presently preferredembodiments of the invention, when considered in connection with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connector according to the presentembodiment;

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along an arrow A-A ofFIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the connector according to thepresent embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating a deployed state of terminalsincluded in the connector according to the present embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a front view of a terminal and a holding member as viewed fromthe front side of a contact direction;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the terminal, the holdingmember, and a temperature sensor in the connector according to thepresent embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along an arrow B-B ofFIG. 2 ;

FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view before thetemperature sensor is attached to the holding member in FIG. 7 ;

FIG. 9 is a side view of the holding member; and

FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating the holding member and thetemperature sensor included in the connector according to the presentembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connector 100 according to the presentembodiment. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along anarrow A-A of FIG. 1 . FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of theconnector 100 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a plan viewillustrating a deployed state of terminals 2 included in the connector100 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a front view of theterminal 2 and a holding member 5 as viewed from the front side of acontact direction X. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of theterminal 2, the holding member 5, and a temperature sensor 8 in theconnector 100 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 7 is atransverse cross-sectional view taken along an arrow B-B of FIG. 2 .FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view before thetemperature sensor 8 is attached to the holding member 5 in FIG. 7 .FIG. 9 is a side view of the holding member 5. FIG. 10 is a perspectiveview illustrating the holding member 5 and the temperature sensor 8included in the connector 100 according to the present embodiment. Notethat, in FIG. 6 , a part of a second terminal 22 located on the otherside in a first orthogonal direction Y in a pair of terminals 2 includedin the connector 100 according to the present embodiment is cut andillustrated, and one of bolts 28 is omitted.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 10 , an X direction is a contact directionof the connector 100 in the present embodiment. A Y direction is a firstorthogonal direction Y orthogonal to the contact direction X of theconnector 100. A Z direction is a second orthogonal direction orthogonalto each of the contact direction X and the first orthogonal direction Yof the connector 100. In the contact direction X in the presentspecification, the side close to a counterpart connector 110 may bereferred to as the front side, and the side separated from thecounterpart connector 110 may be referred to as the rear side.

The connector 100 according to the present embodiment illustrated inFIG. 1 is applied to, for example, a wire harness WH used in a vehiclesuch as an automobile. In the wire harness WH, for example, forconnection between electric devices mounted on the vehicle, a pluralityof wires 1 used for power supply or the like are bundled into acollective part, and each wire 1 is connected to each electric device bythe connector 100 or the like. The wire harness WH includes theconnector 100 and the plurality of wires 1 (see FIG. 6 ). The wireharness WH may be configured to further include a grommet, a protector,an exterior material, a fixture, and the like. The connector 100according to the present embodiment is used in, for example, the wireharness WH having the wires 1 for power supply supplying power from abattery to a motor in a vehicle such as a hybrid automobile or anelectric automobile.

The connector 100 is fitted into a counterpart connector 110 illustratedin FIG. 2 , so that the connector 100 can electrically connect its ownterminal 2 and a counterpart terminal 111 of the counterpart connector110. In other words, the connector 100 is used in a connection mechanismfor wire-to-wire connection electrically connecting the wire 1 connectedto the terminal 2 and a counterpart wire connected to the counterpartterminal 111, by electrically connecting its own terminal 2 and thecounterpart terminal 111 of the counterpart connector 110.

As illustrated in FIG. 3 , the connector 100 according to the presentembodiment includes terminals 2, a housing 3, a first packing P1, afirst holder 6, a second packing P2, a second holder 7, a temperaturesensor 8, and a holding structure 9 (see FIG. 7 ).

The terminal 2 is made of conductive metal and is electrically connectedto the end of wire 1 (see FIG. 6 ). The terminal 2 illustrated in FIG. 2to be described in the present embodiment is, for example, a femaleterminal, and the counterpart terminal 111 is, for example, a maleterminal.

The connector 100 according to the present embodiment has a pair ofterminals 2, and the pair of terminals 2 are disposed inline-symmetrically with respect to a plane that includes an axis XL andis orthogonal to the first orthogonal direction Y (FIG. 5 ). Therefore,a first terminal 21 to be one of the pair of terminals 2 will bedescribed below, and the description of a second terminal 22 to be theremaining terminal 2 will be omitted.

The first terminal 21 is electrically connected to the end of a firstwire 11 illustrated in FIG. 6 . The first terminal 21 is formed byforming a flat plate-shaped member 18 illustrated in FIG. 4 byperforming punching from a metal such as copper having conductivity andbending a plurality of bending lines 18L in the flat plate-shaped member18. The flat plate-shaped member 18 has a longitudinal direction and alateral direction in which the length is shorter than the length in thelongitudinal direction. The flat plate-shaped member 18 extends in thelongitudinal direction, for example, and forms the terminal 2 having atubular portion 25 and the like to be described later by welding a pairof connection end portions 18 a and 18 b located at both end portions inthe lateral direction, respectively. The first terminal 21 formed asdescribed above and illustrated in FIG. 6 includes a terminal connectionportion 23, a wire connection portion 24, and the tubular portion 25.Note that the second terminal 22 is electrically connected to an end ofa second wire 12.

The terminal connection portion 23 is a portion that is electricallyconnected to the counterpart terminal 111 by coming into contact withthe counterpart terminal 111 illustrated in FIG. 2 . The terminalconnection portion 23 is located on the front side of the contactdirection X and is disposed inside a cover 4 to be described later. Theterminal connection portion 23 has an outer portion 23 a and an innerportion 23 b that face each other in the first orthogonal direction Y.The outer portion 23 a and the inner portion 23 b are formed in arectangular flat plate shape. As illustrated in FIG. 5 , a platethickness direction of the outer portion 23 a is along the firstorthogonal direction Y, and the outer portion 23 a is located on theoutermost side with respect to the axis XL of the housing 3 when viewedfrom the contact direction X. As illustrated in FIG. 5 , a platethickness direction of the inner portion 23 b is along the firstorthogonal direction Y, and the inner portion 23 b is located inside theouter portion 23 a with respect to the axis XL of the housing 3 whenviewed from the contact direction X. As illustrated in FIG. 5 , each ofthe outer portion 23 a and the inner portion 23 b is provided with acontact portion 27.

The contact portion 27 is formed of a conductive metal. In the connector100 according to the present embodiment, the contact portion 27 isprovided in each of the outer portion 23 a and the inner portion 23 b.These contact portions 27 are disposed in line-symmetrically withrespect to a plane that is parallel to the axis XL, includes a virtualline located between the outer portion 23 a and the inner portion 23 b,and is orthogonal to the contact direction X. Therefore, the contactportion 27 provided in the inner portion 23 b will be described below,and the description of the contact portion 27 provided in the outerportion 23 a will be omitted.

As illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the contact portion 27 has aframe-shaped portion 271, a plurality of spring contact portions 272, apair of first bent portions 273 a and 273 b, and a pair of second bentportions 274 a and 274 b. The frame-shaped portion 271 is a portion thatis formed in a rectangular frame shape, is provided on a facing surfaceof each of the outer portion 23 a and the inner portion 23 b in thefirst orthogonal direction Y, and comes in contact with the facingsurface. The plurality of spring contact portions 272 are providedinside the frame-shaped portion 271. In each spring contact portion 272,an end portion of the front side of the contact direction X is connectedto and supported by the frame-shaped portion 271, and an end portion ofthe rear side of the contact direction X becomes a free end and issupported in a cantilever shape to be elastically deformed with respectto the frame-shaped portion 271 in the contact direction X (see FIG. 2). The pair of first bent portions 273 a and 273 b face each other inthe second orthogonal direction Z and are connected to the end portionof the frame-shaped portion 271 in the second orthogonal direction Z.The pair of second bent portions 274 a and 274 b face the frame-shapedportion 271 in the first orthogonal direction Y and are connected to theend portions of the first bent portions 273 a and 273 b in the firstorthogonal direction Y.

The wire connection portion 24 is a portion that is electricallyconnected to the first wire 11 by coming into contact with a first corewire 1 a of the first wire 11 illustrated in FIG. 6 . As illustrated inFIG. 1 , the wire connection portion 24 is a portion that is located onthe rear side of the contact direction X and is exposed to the outsidefrom the cover 4 to be described later. The wire connection portion 24is formed in a C shape having a pair of wire connection facing portions24 a and 24 b and a connection coupling portion 24 c when viewed fromthe contact direction X. The pair of wire connection facing portions 24a and 24 b face each other in the second orthogonal direction Z. Thewire connection facing portions 24 a and 24 b have connectionthrough-holes 24 al and 24 b 1 penetrating the wire connection facingportions 24 a and 24 b with respect to the second orthogonal directionZ, respectively. The connection coupling portion 24 c is formed in aflat plate shape, is disposed so that the plate thickness direction isalong the first orthogonal direction Y, and connects the pair of wireconnection facing portions 24 a and 24 b.

The tubular portion 25 is formed in a tubular shape that is locatedbetween the terminal connection portion 23 and the wire connectionportion 24 in the contact direction X and has an accommodation spaceportion 25 s. More specifically, the tubular portion 25 is formed in asquare tubular shape. The tubular portion 25 is adjacent to the terminalconnection portion 23 and the wire connection portion 24 in the contactdirection X.

The wire connection portion 24 of the terminal 2 is electricallyconnected to the wire 1. More specifically, the wire connection facingportion 24 a in the wire connection portion 24 is electrically connectedto the end of the wire 1 by contacting the first core wire 1 a of thewire 1 to be described later. The connector 100 of the presentembodiment includes a plurality of terminals 2, and each terminal 2 iselectrically connected to the first core wire 1 a located at the end ofeach wire 1. Note that, in the present embodiment, the two wires 1 havethe same configuration. Therefore, the first wire 11 to be one of thetwo wires 1 will be described below, and the description of the secondwire 12 to be the remaining wire 1 will be omitted.

The first wire 11 has a first core wire 1 a that is formed of aconductive material and an insulating first covering portion 1 b thatcovers a peripheral surface of the first core wire 1 a. In the end ofthe first wire 11, the first covering portion 1 b is removed to exposethe first core wire 1 a, and the first terminal 21 is connected to anexposed portion of the first core wire 1 a.

The housing 3 is formed of an insulating synthetic resin andaccommodates at least a part of the terminal 2, and includes the cover 4and the holding member 5 as illustrated in FIG. 3 .

As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the cover 4 covers the outside of a pair ofterminals 2 separated in the first orthogonal direction Y and includes arear-side cover portion 41 and a front-side cover portion 42, and therear-side cover portion 41 and the front-side cover portion 42 areintegrally formed. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 1 , the cover 4 has afirst packing P1, a first holder 6, a second packing P2, and a secondholder 7 assembled on an outer peripheral surface of the cover 4.

As illustrated in FIG. 7 , the rear-side cover portion 41 is formed in atubular shape and covers the outside of the tubular portion 25 of theterminal 2. As illustrated in FIG. 3 , an assembling protrusion portion41 a, a first cover engagement recess portion 41 b, and a second coverengagement recess portion 41 c are formed on an outer peripheral surfaceof the rear-side cover portion 41.

The assembling protrusion portion 41 a is formed so as to protrudeoutward in a radial direction from the outer peripheral surface of therear-side cover portion 41. The cover 4 of the present embodiment hasfour assembling protrusion portions 41 a. Each of the assemblingprotrusion portions 41 a has an assembling through-hole 411 thatpenetrates the assembling protrusion portion 41 a in the contactdirection X. By inserting a tip of a bolt into the assemblingthrough-hole 411 and then screwing a nut into a screw portion of thebolt, an operator attaches the connector 100 to an attachment target.Further, the operator attaches the counterpart connector 110 to theattachment target to electrically connect the terminal 2 and thecounterpart terminal 111, and assembles the connector 100 to thecounterpart connector 110.

Further, as illustrated in FIG. 2 , the rear-side cover portion 41 has athrough-hole 41 s that penetrates the rear-side cover portion 41 in thecontact direction X. In addition, in the rear-side cover portion 41, anut 49 is provided in a portion where the through-hole 41 s is formed.The nut 49 has a screw hole 49 a that penetrates the nut 49 in thecontact direction X.

The front-side cover portion 42 covers a non-facing surface of the outerportion 23 a and a non-facing surface of the inner portion 23 b in theterminal connection portion 23.

The first packing P1 is formed in an annular shape by an elasticmaterial such as synthetic rubber, for example, and can be elasticallydeformed inward in the radial direction. The first packing P1 is locatedon the rear side with respect to the assembling protrusion portion 41 ain the contact direction X, and prevents a foreign material such asrainwater from entering the inside of the connector 100 from the outerperipheral surface of the wire 1, for example. The first packing P1 isassembled to the outer peripheral surface of the rear-side cover portion41 by the first holder 6.

The first holder 6 is formed in an annular shape by an insulatingsynthetic resin, for example, and has a first engagement claw 61illustrated in FIG. 3 that engages with the first cover engagementrecess portion 41 b described above. The first holder 6 of the presentembodiment has four first engagement claws 61. The first holder 6 islocated on the rear side with respect to the assembling protrusionportion 41 a in the contact direction X, and the first engagement claw61 engages with the first cover engagement recess portion 41 b toassemble the first packing P1 to the outer peripheral surface of therear-side cover portion 41.

The second packing P2 is formed in an annular shape by an elasticmaterial such as synthetic rubber, for example, and can be elasticallydeformed outward in the radial direction. The second packing P2 islocated on the front side with respect to the assembling protrusionportion 41 a in the contact direction X, and prevents a foreign materialsuch as rainwater from entering the inside of the connector 100 and theinside of the counterpart connector 110 from a portion between thecounterpart connector 110 and the connector 100. The second packing P2is assembled to the outer peripheral surface of the rear-side coverportion 41 by the second holder 7.

The second holder 7 is formed in an annular shape by an insulatingsynthetic resin, for example, and has a second engagement claw 71 thatengages with the second cover engagement recess portion 41 c describedabove. The second holder 7 of the present embodiment has four secondengagement claws 71. The second holder 7 is located on the front sidewith respect to the assembling protrusion portion 41 a in the contactdirection X, and the second engagement claw 71 engages with the secondcover engagement recess portion 41 c to assemble the second packing P2to the outer peripheral surface of the rear-side cover portion 41.

As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the holding member 5 has a base portion 51, awasher 52, a pressing arm portion 53, and a holding arm portion 54. Thehousing 3 of the present embodiment has the base portion 51, thepressing arm portion 53, and the holding arm portion 54, which areintegrally formed. More specifically, the holding member 5 has one baseportion 51, one washer 52, a pair of pressing arm portions 53A and 53B,and a pair of holding arm portions 54A and 54B. In the holding member 5,the washer 52 is embedded and integrated inside the base portion 51 byinsert molding or the like, for example.

As illustrated in FIG. 6 , the base portion 51 has a terminal fixingportion 51 a and a guide portion 51 b.

The terminal fixing portion 51 a is located between the pair ofterminals 2 in the first orthogonal direction Y, and the pair ofterminals 2 are fixed. The terminal fixing portion 51 a is formed in asubstantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and as illustrated inFIG. 2 , the terminal fixing portion 51 a has a columnar fixing portionfirst through-hole 51 al penetrating the terminal fixing portion 51 a inthe contact direction X and a columnar fixing portion secondthrough-hole 51 a 2 penetrating the terminal fixing portion 51 a in thefirst orthogonal direction Y. The terminal fixing portion 51 a of thepresent embodiment has one fixing portion first through-hole 51 a 1 andtwo fixing portion second through-holes 51 a 2. The fixing portion firstthrough-hole 51 al is formed, for example, at the center of the terminalfixing portion 51 a in the first orthogonal direction Y and at thecenter in the second orthogonal direction Z. Further, in the terminalfixing portion 51 a, the washer 52 described above is embedded in themiddle of the fixing portion first through-hole 51 al in the contactdirection X. The washer 52 has a through-hole 52 a that penetrates thewasher 52 in the contact direction X. Further, the holding member 5 isprovided with a bolt 59 to be inserted into the through-hole 52 a of thewasher 52. The bolt 59 has a screw portion 59 a.

The two fixing portion second through-holes 51 a 2 are disposedline-symmetrically with respect to a plane that includes the axis XL andis orthogonal to the first orthogonal direction Y, for example. Further,on one side of the terminal fixing portion 51 a in the second orthogonaldirection Z, as illustrated in FIG. 6 , a fixing recess portion 51 a 3recessed from one side to the other side of the second orthogonaldirection Z is formed in a portion of the terminal fixing portion 51 aprovided with the fixing portion second through-hole 51 a 2. A highlyrigid spacer 51 a 4 formed of a conductive metal is disposed in thefixing recess portion 51 a 3. The spacer 51 a 4 is formed in a shape ofa rectangular flat plate that engages with the fixing recess portion 51a 3. The spacer 51 a 4 has a spacer through-hole 51 a 5 that penetratesthe spacer 51 a 4 in the second orthogonal direction Z.

By inserting the tip of a screw portion 28 a of the bolt 28 into theconnection through-hole 24 a 1, the spacer through-hole 51 a 5, thefixing portion second through-hole 51 a 2, and the connectionthrough-hole 24 b 1 and then screwing a screw hole 29 a of a nut 29 intothe screw portion 28 a of the bolt 28, the terminal fixing portion 51 afixes the terminal 2 to the holding member 5.

The guide portion 51 b guides the pressing arm portion 53 to theaccommodation space portion 25 s of the terminal 2, when the pressingarm portion 53 is inserted into the accommodation space portion 25 s ofthe terminal 2. The holding member 5 of the present embodiment has twopairs of guide portions 51 b. The pair of guide portions 51 b of thepresent embodiment have a pair of one-side guide portions 511 disposedon one side of the first orthogonal direction Y and a pair of other-sideguide portions 512 disposed on the other side of the first orthogonaldirection Y, and these are disposed line-symmetrically with respect to aplane including the axis XL and orthogonal to the first orthogonaldirection Y and have the same configuration. Therefore, the other-sideguide portion 512 disposed on the other side of the first orthogonaldirection Y in the two guide portions 51 b will be described below, andthe one-side guide portion 511 disposed on one side of the firstorthogonal direction Y will be designated by the same reference numeraland the description thereof will be omitted.

The pair of other-side guide portions 512 have a first guide arm portion512 a and a second guide arm portion 512 b. The first guide arm portion512 a and the second guide arm portion 512 b extend in a rod shape inthe contact direction X, and protrude from the terminal fixing portion51 a to the front side of the contact direction X. In addition, thefirst guide arm portion 512 a and the second guide arm portion 512 bface each other in the second orthogonal direction Z with a pair ofother-side holding arm portions 54 b, which will be described later,interposed therebetween. That is, the first guide arm portion 512 a andthe second guide arm portion 512 b are located outside the pair ofother-side holding arm portions 54 b in the second orthogonal directionZ.

One first pressing arm portion 53A in the pair of pressing arm portions53 is disposed on one side of the first orthogonal direction Y, and theother pressing arm portion 53B is disposed on the other side of thefirst orthogonal direction Y. The pair of pressing arm portions 53 ofthe present embodiment have one first pressing arm portion 53A disposedon one side of the first orthogonal direction Y and the other secondpressing arm portion 53B disposed on the other side of the firstorthogonal direction Y. In addition, these are disposedline-symmetrically with respect to a plane that is parallel to the axisXL, includes a virtual line located between the first guide arm portion512 a and the second guide arm portion 512 b in the second orthogonaldirection Z and extending in the contact direction X, and is orthogonalto the second orthogonal direction Z and have the same configuration.Therefore, in the following description, the configurations of thesecond pressing arm portion 53B will be described below, and theconfigurations of the first pressing arm portion 53A will be designatedby the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

The second pressing arm portion 53B is formed in a rod shape extendingfrom the terminal fixing portion 51 a in the base portion 51 to thefront side of the contact direction X and is elastically deformable withrespect to the first orthogonal direction Y. Further, the secondpressing arm portion 53B is disposed in the accommodation space portion25 s located inside the tubular portion 25. As illustrated in FIG. 8 ,if the second pressing arm portion 53B is disposed in the accommodationspace portion 25 s, a housing formation space portion (space portion) 5s is formed by the second pressing arm portion 53B forming a part of thehousing 3 and a wall portion 251 forming the tubular portion 25 of theterminal 2. Further, the second pressing arm portion 53B has aprotrusion portion 531 that protrudes into the housing formation spaceportion 5 s and comes into contact with the temperature sensor 8.

The protrusion portion 531 is formed at the end portion (that is, thetip portion) of the second pressing arm portion 53B on the front side ofthe contact direction X as illustrated in FIG. 6 , and protrudes in adirection away from the axis XL in the first orthogonal direction Y asillustrated in FIG. 8 . As illustrated in FIG. 2 , when the protrusionportion 531 comes into contact with the temperature sensor 8, thepressing arm portion 53 is elastically deformed to press the temperaturesensor 8 located in the housing formation space portion 5 s with respectto the first orthogonal direction Y, and the pressed temperature sensor8 is brought into contact with the wall portion 251 (see FIG. 8 ) of theterminal 2.

The pair of holding arm portions 54 face each other in the secondorthogonal direction Z and are elastically deformable with respect tothe first orthogonal direction Y. The base portion 51 of the presentembodiment is provided with two pairs of holding arm portions 54. Thetwo holding arm portions 54 have a one-side holding arm portion 54Adisposed on one side of the first orthogonal direction Y and another-side holding arm portion 54B disposed on the other side of thefirst orthogonal direction Y. In addition, these are disposed inline-symmetrically with respect to a plane that is parallel to the axisXL, includes a virtual line located between the first guide arm portion512 a and the second guide arm portion 512 b, and is orthogonal to thesecond orthogonal direction Z and have the same configuration.Therefore, in the following description, the configurations of theother-side holding arm portion 54B will be described below, and theconfigurations of the one-side holding arm portion 54A will bedesignated by the same reference numerals and description thereof willbe omitted.

The other-side holding arm portion 54B has a first holding arm portion541 and a second holding arm portion 542 as illustrated in FIG. 9 . Thefirst holding arm portion 541 is formed so as to extend in the contactdirection X, a holding base end portion 541 a located on the rear sideis connected to the first guide arm portion 512 a, and a holding tipportion 541 b located on the tip side is a free end. Therefore, theholding tip portion 541 b of the first holding arm portion 541 can beelastically deformed with respect to the first orthogonal direction Y.Further, in the second orthogonal direction Z, a gap 541 s is formedbetween the first guide arm portion 512 a and the first holding armportion 541. Therefore, the holding tip portion 541 b of the firstholding arm portion 541 can be elastically deformed in a direction closeto the first guide arm portion 512 a by the gap 541 s in the secondorthogonal direction Z.

The second holding arm portion 542 is formed so as to extend in thecontact direction X, a holding base end portion 542 a located on therear side is connected to the second guide arm portion 512 b, and aholding tip portion 542 b located on the tip side is a free end.Therefore, the holding tip portion 542 b of the second holding armportion 542 can be elastically deformed with respect to the firstorthogonal direction Y. Therefore, in the pair of other-side holding armportions 54B, the first holding arm portion 541 and the second holdingarm portion 542 can be elastically deformed with respect to the firstorthogonal direction Y. Further, in the second orthogonal direction Z, agap 542 s is formed between the second guide arm portion 512 b and thesecond holding arm portion 542. Therefore, the holding tip portion 542 bof the second holding arm portion 542 can be elastically deformed in adirection close to the second guide arm portion 512 b by the gap 542 sin the second orthogonal direction Z.

In the other-side holding arm portion 54B, in a state where the secondpressing arm portion 53B is inserted into the accommodation spaceportion 25 s and the housing formation space portion 5 s is formed, theholding tip portions 541 b and 542 b face each other with the housingformation space portion 5 s interposed therebetween in the secondorthogonal direction Z.

The temperature sensor 8 is, for example, a thermistor and is a sensorthat detects the temperature of the terminal 2 coming in contact withthe temperature sensor 8 by utilizing the property of a temperaturedetection element 82 illustrated in FIG. 2 in which electric resistancechanges in response to a change in the temperature. The temperaturesensor 8 is disposed in the accommodation space portion 25 s of theterminal 2. As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 10 , the temperature sensor 8has a sensor cover 81, a temperature detection element 82 (see FIG. 2 ),a pair of sensor wires 83A and 83B, and a potting agent 84 (see FIG. 2).

The sensor cover 81 has a cover body portion 81 a that is formed of aninsulating synthetic resin and has an element accommodation spaceportion 81 s (see FIG. 2 ) provided inside. The cover body portion 81 ais formed in a rectangular shape when viewed from the first orthogonaldirection Y, and has a cover opening portion 81 b and a wide portion 81c. The cover opening portion 81 b causes the element accommodation spaceportion 81 s to communicate with the outside and is disposed on the rearside of the cover body portion 81 a in the contact direction X. The wideportion 81 c is a rear end portion of the cover body portion 81 a in thecontact direction X and is a portion that is formed to protrude fromboth end portions in the second orthogonal direction Z. In addition, awidth of the wide portion 81 c in the second orthogonal direction Z islarger than a width of the cover body portion 81 a in the secondorthogonal direction Z.

The temperature detection element 82 is disposed in the elementaccommodation space portion 81 s. One end of the pair of sensor wires83A and 83B is electrically connected to the temperature detectionelement 82. The potting agent 84 is formed by curing a liquid syntheticresin having an insulating property, and is filled in the elementaccommodation space portion 81 s in a state where the temperaturedetection element 82 is disposed in the element accommodation spaceportion 81 s. The temperature sensor 8 having the above configurationoutputs the electric resistance of the temperature detection element 82via the pair of sensor wires 83A and 83B, and the temperature of theterminal 2 is detected on the basis of the electric resistance. Theconnector 100 of the present embodiment includes a pair of temperaturesensors 8 corresponding to the pair of terminals 2.

The temperature sensor 8 is held movably in the first orthogonaldirection Y by the holding structure 9. The holding structure 9 isprovided with a pair of locking projections 95 and a pair of lockingrecess portions 96.

The pair of locking projections 95 are provided in the holding armportion 54 and extend in the second orthogonal direction Z. The holdingstructure 9 of the present embodiment is provided with two pairs oflocking projections 95. The two locking projections 95 face each otherin the second orthogonal direction Z and have a one-side lockingprojection 95A disposed on one side of the first orthogonal direction Yand an other-side locking projection 95B disposed on the other side ofthe first orthogonal direction Y, and these are disposedline-symmetrically with respect to a plane including the axis XL andorthogonal to the first orthogonal direction Y and have the sameconfiguration. Therefore, in the following description, theconfigurations of the other-side locking projection 95B will bedescribed below, and the configurations of the one-side lockingprojection 95A will be designated by the same reference numerals anddescription thereof will be omitted.

The other-side locking projection 95B has a first locking projection 951and a second locking projection 952. The first locking projection 951and the second locking projection 952 are formed on the facing surfacesof the first holding arm portion 541 and the second holding arm portion542 in the second orthogonal direction Z. More specifically, the firstlocking projection 951 is formed in the holding tip portion 541 b of thefirst holding arm portion 541, and the second locking projection 952 isformed in the holding tip portion 542 b of the second holding armportion 542.

As illustrated in FIG. 9 , the first locking projection 951 has aninclined surface 951 a and an orthogonal surface 952 b that face eachother in the contact direction X. The inclined surface 951 a is locatedon the rear side of the contact direction X and is inclined with respectto the contact direction X and the second orthogonal direction Z. Theorthogonal surface 952 b is located on the front side of the contactdirection X and is formed of a part of a plane orthogonal to the contactdirection X.

The second locking projection 952 has an inclined surface 952 a and anorthogonal surface 952 b that face each other in the contact directionX. The inclined surface 952 a is located on the rear side of the contactdirection X and is inclined with respect to the contact direction X andthe second orthogonal direction Z. The orthogonal surface 952 b islocated on the front side of the contact direction X and is formed of apart of a plane orthogonal to the contact direction X.

As illustrated in FIG. 7 , the pair of locking recess portions 96 areprovided in the temperature sensor 8 and can engage with the lockingprojection 95 by moving the locking projection 95 in the secondorthogonal direction Z. The holding structure 9 of the presentembodiment is provided with two pairs of locking recess portions 96. Thetwo locking recess portions 96 face each other in the second orthogonaldirection Z, and have a one-side locking recess portion 96A disposed onone side of the first orthogonal direction Y and an other-side lockingrecess portion 96B disposed on the other side of the first orthogonaldirection Y. In addition, these are disposed line-symmetrically withrespect to a plane that is parallel to the axis XL, includes a virtualline located at the center of both end portions of the cover bodyportion 81 a in the second orthogonal direction Z, and is orthogonal tothe second orthogonal direction Z and have the same configuration.Therefore, in the following description, the configurations of theother-side locking recess portion 96B will be described below, and theconfigurations of the one-side locking recess portion 96A will bedesignated by the same reference numerals and description thereof willbe omitted.

The other-side locking recess portion 96B has a first locking recessportion 961 and a second locking recess portion 962. The first lockingrecess portion 961 and the second locking recess portion 962 are formedon a facing surface of the cover body portion 81 a of the temperaturesensor 8 in the second orthogonal direction Z.

In the holding structure 9 of the present embodiment, a width W1 of thefirst locking recess portion 961 in the first orthogonal direction Y islarger than a width W2 of the first locking projection 951 in the firstorthogonal direction Y. Further, a width W1 of the second locking recessportion 962 in the first orthogonal direction Y is larger than a widthW2 of the second locking projection 952 in the first orthogonaldirection Y. As a result, the temperature sensor 8 can move in the firstorthogonal direction Y with respect to the holding member 5. That is,the holding structure 9 holds the temperature sensor 8 so as to bemovable in the first orthogonal direction Y in the housing formationspace portion 5 s.

In the holding structure 9, in a state where the pair of lockingprojections 95 and the pair of locking recess portions 96 are engaged,the orthogonal surface 952 b of the locking projection 95 and the flatsurface configuring the locking recess portion 96 come into contact witheach other, so that the temperature sensor 8 is restricted from movingto the rear side of the contact direction X with respect to the holdingmember 5. That is, the holding structure 9 is restricted from moving toone side of the contact direction X by engaging the pair of lockingprojections 95 and the pair of locking recess portions 96. Further, inthe holding structure 9, the pair of locking projections 95 and the pairof locking recess portions 96 are provided in the pair of holding armportions 54 and the temperature sensor 8 facing each other in the secondorthogonal direction Z. As a result, the holding structure 9 can holdthe temperature sensor 8 so as to be movable in the first orthogonaldirection Y by the pair of holding arm portions 54, and the temperaturesensor 8 is restricted from moving to the rear side in the secondorthogonal direction Z.

The connector 100 having the above configuration is assembled, forexample, as follows. First, as illustrated in FIG. 6 , the operatordisposes the two temperature sensors 8 on the rear side of the holdingmember 5 in the contact direction X.

Next, the operator moves the temperature sensor 8 from the rear side tothe front side with respect to the holding member 5 in the contactdirection X. When the temperature sensor 8 is moved from the rear sideto the front side with respect to the holding member 5 in the contactdirection X, first, the cover body portion 81 a of the temperaturesensor 8 is inserted between the pair of guide arm portions 512 a and512 b in the second orthogonal direction Z. From this state, when thetemperature sensor 8 is further moved from the rear side to the frontside with respect to the holding member 5 in the contact direction X,the cover body portion 81 a of the temperature sensor 8 is insertedbetween the pair of holding arm portions 54.

Then, from this state, when the temperature sensor 8 is further movedfrom the rear side to the front side with respect to the holding member5 in the contact direction X, the temperature sensor 8 comes intocontact with the protrusion portion 531 of the pressing arm portion 53,and the pressing arm portion 53 is elastically deformed. Morespecifically, the protrusion portion 531 comes into contact with thetemperature sensor 8, so that the pair of pressing arm portions 53A and53B are elastically deformed in a direction close to each other in thefirst orthogonal direction Y.

From this state, when the temperature sensor 8 is further moved from therear side to the front side with respect to the holding member 5 in thecontact direction X, the inclined surfaces 951 a of the pair of lockingprojections 95 come into contact with the facing surface of thetemperature sensor 8 in the second orthogonal direction Z. When theinclined surfaces 951 a of the pair of locking projections 95 come intocontact with the facing surface of the temperature sensor 8 in thesecond orthogonal direction Z, the holding tip portions 541 b and 542 bof the pair of holding arm portions 54 are elastically deformed so as tobe separated in the second orthogonal direction Z.

From this state, when the temperature sensor 8 is further moved from therear side to the front side with respect to the holding member 5 in thecontact direction X, the pair of locking projections 95 get over thewall portion of the temperature sensor 8 on the front side of thecontact direction X, and the pair of locking projections 95 move in thesecond orthogonal direction Z, so that the pair of locking projections95 engage with the pair of locking recess portions 96. Then, the pair ofholding arm portions 54 recover from the elastically deformed state. Asa result, the holding structure 9 holds the temperature sensor 8 so asto be movable in the first orthogonal direction Y, and the temperaturesensor 8 is attached to the holding member 5 as illustrated in FIG. 10 .

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 6 , the operator disposes the two terminals2 on the front side of the holding member 5 in the contact direction X.Then, the operator moves the terminal 2 to the rear side in the contactdirection X with respect to the holding member 5.

The operator further moves the terminal 2 to the rear side in thecontact direction X with respect to the holding member 5, andaccommodates the guide arm portions 512 a and 512 b, the holding armportions 5A and 5B, and the pressing arm portions 53A and 53B in theaccommodation space portion 25 s of the terminal 2.

Then, the operator aligns the terminal fixing portion 51 a of theholding member 5 and the wire connection portion 24 of the terminal 2 inthe contact direction X. After that, by inserting the tip of the screwportion 28 a of the bolt 28 into the connection through-hole 24 a 1, thespacer through-hole 51 a 5, the fixing portion second through-hole 51 a2, and the connection through-holes 24 al and 24 b 1 and then screwingthe screw hole 29 a of the nut 29 into the screw portion 28 a of thebolt 28, the operator fixes the terminal 2 to the holding member 5.

Next, the operator disposes the holding member 5 on the front side ofthe cover 4 in the contact direction X as illustrated in FIG. 3 . Then,from this state, the holding member 5 is moved from the front side tothe rear side with respect to the cover 4 in the contact direction X,and the screw portion 59 a of the bolt 59 is inserted into thethrough-hole 52 a of the washer 52. After that, the screw hole 49 a ofthe nut 49 is screwed into the screw portion 59 a of the bolt 59. As aresult, the holding member 5 is fixed to the cover 4 to form the housing3.

Next, by inserting the tip of the bolt into the assembling through-hole411 of the cover 4 and then screwing the nut into the screw portion ofthe bolt, the operator attaches the connector 100 to the attachmenttarget. Finally, the operator attaches the counterpart connector 110 tothe attachment target to electrically connect the terminal 2 and thecounterpart terminal 111, and assembles the connector 100 to thecounterpart connector 110.

The connector 100 according to the present embodiment has the followingconfiguration. The connector 100 has the holding structure 9 that holdsthe temperature sensor 8 so as to be movable in at least the firstorthogonal direction Y in the housing formation space portion (spaceportion) 5 s. The housing 3 has the base portion 51 and the pressing armportion 53 extending from the base portion 51 in the contact direction Xand elastically deformable with respect to the first orthogonaldirection Y orthogonal to the contact direction X. The pressing armportion 53 has the protrusion portion 531 that protrudes into thehousing formation space portion 5 s and comes into contact with thetemperature sensor 8. When the protrusion portion 531 comes into contactwith the temperature sensor 8, the pressing arm portion 53 iselastically deformed to press the temperature sensor 8 located in thehousing formation space portion 5 s with respect to the first orthogonaldirection Y, and the pressed temperature sensor 8 is brought intocontact with the terminal 2. Therefore, in the connector 100 accordingto the present embodiment, the protrusion portion 531 presses thetemperature sensor 8 with respect to the first orthogonal direction Y bythe elastic restoring force of the elastically deformed pressing armportion 53. Since the temperature sensor 8 is held by the holdingstructure 9 so as to be movable in the first orthogonal direction Y, atthe time of being pressed by the protrusion portion 531, the temperaturesensor 8 moves along the first orthogonal direction Y and comes intocontact with the terminal 2. As a result, in the connector 100 accordingto the present embodiment, even when the temperature sensor 8 ismisaligned with respect to the terminal 2 due to the vibration of thevehicle, following the misalignment, the protrusion portion 531 canbring the temperature sensor 8 into contact with the terminal 2, and acontact state of the temperature sensor 8 with respect to the terminal 2can be maintained. Therefore, the connector 100 according to the presentembodiment can properly detect the temperature of the terminal 2 by thetemperature sensor 8 at all times. As a result, the connector 100according to the present embodiment can prevent an overcurrent from thepower supply to the electronic device, on the basis of a detectionresult of the temperature sensor 8. On the other hand, the conventionalconnector includes the first holder member, the second holder member,and the holding structure 9 that maintains a state in which the secondholder member is locked to the first holder member. Further, in theconventional connector, the terminal and the temperature sensor aredisposed in the internal space portion located between the first holdermember and the second holder member, the terminal and the temperaturesensor are sandwiched between the first holder member and the secondholder member, the terminal and the temperature sensor are brought intocontact with each other by sandwiching, and the sandwiched state ismaintained by the holding structure. For this reason, in theconventional connector, when the internal space portion located betweenthe first holder member and the second holder member becomes larger dueto a vibration such as traveling of the vehicle, a gap may be generatedbetween the temperature sensor and the terminal, and the contact stateof the temperature sensor with respect to the terminal may not bemaintained.

The connector 100 according to the present embodiment has the followingconfiguration. The holding structure 9 has the pair of lockingprojections 95 that are provided on one side of the holding arm portion54 and the temperature sensor 8 and extend in the second orthogonaldirection Z, and the pair of locking recess portions 96 that areprovided on the other side of the holding arm portion 54 and thetemperature sensor 8 and can engage with the locking projections 95 bymoving the locking projection 95 in the second orthogonal direction Z.The pair of holding arm portions 54 can be elastically deformed in adirection separated from each other in the second orthogonal directionZ, while the pair of holding arm portions 54 are restricted from beingelastically deformed in a direction close to each other by the wallportion located in the second orthogonal direction Z of the temperaturesensor 8. Therefore, in the holding structure 9 according to the presentembodiment, the movement of the temperature sensor 8 with respect to thesecond orthogonal direction Z is restricted in a state where theconnector 100 is offset by the vehicle. Further, when the temperaturesensor 8 tries to move to one side of the contact direction X in a statewhere the pair of locking projections 95 and the pair of locking recessportions 96 are engaged, the locking projection 95 comes into contactwith the wall portion of the locking recess portion 96 on the side of anopposite direction of the contact direction X, and the movement withrespect to one side of the contact direction X is restricted. As aresult, since the holding structure 9 according to the presentembodiment can restrict the movement of the temperature sensor 8 withrespect to the second orthogonal direction Z and the movement withrespect to one side of the contact direction X, the protrusion portion531 can be reliably brought into contact with the temperature sensor 8.

The connector 100 according to the present embodiment has the followingconfiguration. The housing 3 includes the cover 4 and the holding member5 formed separately from the cover 4. The holding member 5 has the baseportion 51. The base portion 51 has the terminal fixing portion 51 awhich is located between the pair of terminals 2 in the first orthogonaldirection Y and to which the pair of terminals 2 are fixed. The cover 4covers the outside of the pair of terminals 2 that are separated in thefirst orthogonal direction Y. Therefore, by covering the outside of thepair of terminals 2 with the cover 4, the connector 100 according to thepresent embodiment can protect the terminals 2. Further, afterconfirming whether or not the temperature sensor 8 is properly held withrespect to the base portion 51 in a state where the temperature sensor 8is held by the base portion 51, the connector 100 according to thepresent embodiment can cover the outside of the pair of terminals 2 withthe cover 4. As a result, in the connector 100 according to the presentembodiment, the terminal 2 can be protected by the cover 4, and it canbe confirmed whether or not the temperature sensor 8 is properly held bythe base portion 51.

The connector 100 according to the present embodiment has the followingconfiguration. The terminal 2 has the tubular portion 25 with theaccommodation space portion 25 s. The pressing arm portion 53 isdisposed in the accommodation space portion 25 s of the tubular portion25. Incidentally, in the connector 100, the pair of counterpartterminals 111 come into contact with the pair of terminals 2,respectively, so that the pair of terminals 2 may be deformed so as tobe separated from each other in the first orthogonal direction Y.However, in the connector 100 according to the present embodiment, therigidity of the terminal 2 can be caused to be higher than the rigidityof the plate-shaped terminal 2 by the tubular portion 25. As a result,in the connector 100 according to the present embodiment, by increasingthe rigidity of the terminal 2, it is possible to suppress deformationdue to the terminal 2 coming into contact with the counterpart terminal111, and it is possible to prevent a gap from being generated betweenthe terminal 2 and the temperature sensor 8. As a result, the connector100 according to the present embodiment can reliably maintain thecontact state of the temperature sensor 8 with respect to the terminal2.

The connector 100 according to the present embodiment has the followingconfiguration. The temperature sensor 8 is disposed in the accommodationspace portion 25 s of the terminal 2. The tubular portion 25 isaccommodated inside the housing 3 in a state where the terminal 2 isheld by the housing 3. Therefore, the connector 100 according to thepresent invention effectively uses the accommodation space portion 25 sof the tubular portion 25 and uses a part of the space accommodating apart of the terminal 2 as the space accommodating the temperature sensor8, so that it is possible to eliminate the space for accommodating thetemperature sensor 8 inside the housing 3. As a result, in the connector100 according to the present embodiment, since it is not necessary toseparately provide the space for accommodating a part of the terminal 2and the space for accommodating the temperature sensor 8 inside thehousing 3, the housing 3 can be miniaturized. Therefore, it is possibleto provide a small connector 100.

The connector 100 according to the present embodiment has the followingconfiguration. The terminal 2 is formed of a single conductive metalplate-shaped member in a deployed state. Therefore, in the connector 100according to the present embodiment, the terminal 2 having the tubularportion 25 can be manufactured inexpensively and easily.

The connector 100 according to the present embodiment has the followingconfiguration. The housing 3 holds the plurality of terminals 2. Thetemperature sensor 8 is disposed in the accommodation space portion 25 sof each terminal 2. Therefore, in the connector 100 according to thepresent embodiment, the terminal 2 is provided to correspond to thetemperature sensor 8, and the temperature sensor 8 is accommodated inthe accommodation space portion 25 s of the tubular portion 25 of eachterminal 2. As a result, in the connector 100 according to the presentembodiment, the terminal 2 individually protects the temperature sensor8 accommodated inside, so that it is possible to suppress an influenceof heat generated from other terminal 2 on the temperature sensor 8accommodated in the accommodation space portion 25 s of the terminal 2.

The connector 100 according to the present embodiment has the followingconfiguration. The axis of the temperature sensor 8 is located insidethe outer portion 23 a of the terminal connection portion 23 when viewedfrom the contact direction X. Therefore, in the connector 100 accordingto the present embodiment, it is possible to eliminate an extra spaceoutside the outer portion 23 a of the terminal connection portion 23 inthe first orthogonal direction Y, so that it is possible to miniaturizethe housing 3. Therefore, it is possible to provide a smaller connector100.

The connector 100 according to the present embodiment has the followingconfiguration. The connector 100 according to the present embodiment hasthe pair of pressing arm portions 53A and 53B facing each other in thefirst orthogonal direction Y, the protrusion portions 531 come intocontact with the pair of pressing arm portions 53A and 53B,respectively, so that the pair of pressing arm portions 53A and 53B areelastically deformed in a direction close to each other in the firstorthogonal direction Y. Therefore, the elastic restoring force of thepair of pressing arm portions 53A and 53B takes a balance with respectto the holding member 5 in the first orthogonal direction Y, and cansuppress the movement of the holding member 5 to one side of the firstorthogonal direction Y.

The connector 100 according to the present embodiment has the followingconfiguration. In the connector 100, when the holding member 5 is viewedfrom the contact direction X, the holding tip portions 541 b and 542 bof the pair of holding arm portions 54 face each other with the housingformation space portion 5 s interposed therebetween in the secondorthogonal direction Z, and the protrusion portion 531 of the pressingarm portion 53 is disposed on one side of the first orthogonal directionY in the housing formation space portion 5 s. Therefore, in theconnector 100, the pressing arm portion 53 having the protrusion portion531 and the pair of holding arm portions 54 holding the temperaturesensor 8 are densely disposed, and the accommodation space portion 25 sof the terminal 2 can be effectively used. As a result, the connector100 can be miniaturized.

As the connector 100 according to the embodiment described above, theconnector in which the housing 3 accommodates at least a part of theterminals 2 has been described. However, the connector 100 according tothe present embodiment is not limited thereto, and the housing 3 mayaccommodate the entire terminals 2.

Further, as the connector 100 according to the embodiment describedabove, the connector 100 used in the connection mechanism forwire-to-wire connection has been described. However, the connector 100according to the present embodiment is not limited thereto, and can beapplied to a connector used in a connection mechanism for wire toelectric device connection.

Further, as the connector 100 according to the embodiment describedabove, the connector in which the terminal 2 is a female terminal hasbeen described. However, the connector 100 according to the presentembodiment is not limited thereto, and can be applied to a connector inwhich the terminal 2 is a male terminal.

Further, as the connector 100 according to the embodiment describedabove, the connector in which the housing 3 includes the cover 4 and theholding member 5 formed separately from the cover 4 has been described.However, the connector 100 according to the present embodiment is notlimited thereto, and may include the housing 3 in which the cover 4 andthe holding member 5 are integrally formed. If the connector 100includes this housing 3, it is not necessary to assemble the cover 4 andthe holding member 5, so that it is possible to provide the connector100 in which the assembly is easy.

Further, as the holding structure 9 according to the embodimentdescribed above, the holding structure in which the pair of lockingprojections 95 are provided in the holding arm portion 54, while thepair of locking recess portions 96 are provided in the temperaturesensor 8 has been described. However, in the holding structure 9according to the present embodiment, the pair of locking projections 95may be provided in the temperature sensor 8, while the pair of lockingrecess portions 96 may be provided in the holding arm portion 54. Thatis, in the holding structure 9 according to the present embodiment, thepair of locking projections 95 are provided on one side of the holdingarm portion 54 and the temperature sensor 8 and extend in the secondorthogonal direction Z. Further, the pair of locking recess portions 96are provided on the other side of the holding arm portion 54 and thetemperature sensor 8, and can be engaged with the locking projections 95by moving the locking projections 95 in the second orthogonal directionZ.

Further, as the connector 100 according to the embodiment describedabove, the connector in which the terminal 2 is assembled to the holdingmember 5 after the temperature sensor 8 is assembled to the holdingmember 5 has been described. However, the connector 100 according to thepresent embodiment is not limited thereto, and the temperature sensor 8may be assembled to the holding member 5 after the terminal 2 isassembled to the holding member 5.

Further, as the connector 100 according to the embodiment describedabove, the connector in which the thermistor is used in the temperaturesensor 8 has been described. However, the temperature sensor 8 of theconnector 100 according to the present embodiment is not limitedthereto, and in the temperature sensor 8, for example, a thermocouplemay be used.

Since a connector according to the present embodiment has the aboveconfiguration, it is possible to provide a connector capable ofmaintaining a contact state of a temperature sensor with respect to aterminal.

Although the invention has been described with respect to specificembodiments for a complete and clear disclosure, the appended claims arenot to be thus limited but are to be construed as embodying allmodifications and alternative constructions that may occur to oneskilled in the art that fairly fall within the basic teaching herein setforth.

What is claimed is:
 1. A connector comprising: a terminal that moves in a contact direction with respect to a counterpart terminal and comes into contact with the counterpart terminal; a housing that accommodates at least a portion of the terminal; a temperature sensor that is accommodated in the housing, is disposed in a space portion formed by the housing and the terminal, and detects a temperature of the terminal; and a holding structure that holds the temperature sensor to be movable in at least a first orthogonal direction in the space portion, wherein the housing has a base portion and a pressing arm portion extending from the base portion in the contact direction and elastically deformable in the first orthogonal direction orthogonal to the contact direction, the pressing arm portion has a protrusion portion that protrudes into the space portion and comes into contact with the temperature sensor, and when the protrusion portion comes into contact with the temperature sensor, the pressing arm portion is elastically deformed to press the temperature sensor located in the space portion with respect to the first orthogonal direction, and the pressed temperature sensor is brought into contact with the terminal.
 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the housing has a pair of holding arm portions that extend from the base portion in the contact direction, face each other in a second orthogonal direction orthogonal to the contact direction and the first orthogonal direction, and are elastically deformable with respect to at least the first orthogonal direction, and the holding structure has a pair of locking projections provided in one of the holding arm portion and the temperature sensor and extending in the second orthogonal direction, and a pair of locking recess portions provided in another of the holding arm portion and the temperature sensor and capable of engaging with the locking projections by moving the locking projections in the second orthogonal direction.
 3. The connector according to claim 2, wherein the housing includes a cover and a holding member formed separately from the cover, the holding member has the base portion, the base portion has a terminal fixing portion which is located between a pair of terminals in the first orthogonal direction and to which the pair of terminals are fixed, and the cover covers an outside of the pair of terminals that are separated in the first orthogonal direction.
 4. The connector according to claim 3, wherein the terminal has a tubular portion with an accommodation space portion, and the pressing arm portion is disposed in the accommodation space portion of the terminal. 